Kitten
Checklist

This New Kitten Checklist applies to
new
cats as well and is broken into two
parts - part one
is a
list of things to consider and decisions that should be made
before you get your cat, part
two is a
list of the most important items you will need to have in place before
you bring your new cat or kitten home. Hopefully it
will help you with the many large and
small decisions you'll have to make in the course of acquiring a new
kitten (yeah!) Enjoy the
journey and always
remember.......Cats
Rule!

Your
First Kitten!

Take a minute to think about your family, your schedule and
your
lifestyle....

If you warmly imagine not just an adorable kitten, but
a lovely adult cat sharing your life for the next 12 to 20
years, then
you want to check out the new kitten checklist...

These are ourTop 6
Things to Consider when Choosing a Cat
Why these specific things?
Because making the decisions you make about these 6 questions will have
the
greatest impact on your
overall experience and how you proceed from this point on....

Indoor Cat or Outdoor Cat:
This can be a sticky and sometimes emotional subject. If you aren't
sure yet, you can check out our indoor cat or outdoor
cat
page devoted to this controversial question. Hopefully you will find it
slightly less fanatical and judgmental than some other
sources.

Long, short, or none at all:
The one
physical trait that most drastically impacts upkeep requirements from
cat to cat is coat quality. Long
haired cats, even the more natural
types, will automatically require additional attention. In the case of
Persians this can
add up to a considerable amount of time - these cats do not keep
themselves well without your help. Try very hard not to
enter a relationship with a long haired cat before
understanding the maintainance involved. Some of the non shedding cat
breeds-particularly the very trendy
hairless cat breeds-
actually require lots
of grooming in the form of skin
care.
Comparatively, while most short
haired cats benefit from a weekly
brushing, many house cats live happily their entire lives
without
being groomed by anything but their own pink tongue.

Litter Box
Location: Even if you want your cat to ultimately use the
great outdoors as their restroom, you should establish a convenient
litter box location indoors the very first day. The first few
weeks you will want to provide it for adjustment, and thereafter your
cat will know the location of the box if weather conditions or health
issues should require they stay indoors at some later time. Even if you
don't keep the box set-up, you will be confident if you put it out in
an emergency that there won't be any confusion. If you think you might
want to toilet train
your cat, -and this option has become more
doable, more practical and more appealing with products like
the amazing citi
kitty
training system - you can get tips on starting
early right here at Toilet
train your cat or kitten!

Sleeping
Arrangements:
This is something you should try to decide as early as possible. If you
think you
want to share your bed forever, than you can cuddle up with your kitten
immediately, but if you don't want fur on your pillow or somebody
1/12th your size hogging the sheets, it's best to set your new kitten
or new cat up with their own sleeping space on the very very first
night. The best cat beds
can offer your new cat comfort and security, and establish a safe zone
and a sense of personal territory on the very first night home.

Know Your Peeps and Keep the Peace:
If you have multiple family members, your kitten checklist should
include making sure everyone is on board.
Bringing a new cat home will disrupt some of the flow, but if
everyone is welcoming and knows what the plan is, it will certainly
ease the stress. If you have other pets it
might be wise not to leave
them together unsupervised for the first week or so, no matter how well
the initial meeting goes. The
interpersonal dynamics will be defined not just over a few minutes, but
over a few days or weeks.
Boundaries will be tested even among the mildest of
personalities,
it's just natural, but the established animals in the house may change
their tune when the newcomer tries out a favorite chair or snatches the
wrong toy. If you aren't around to keep the peace someone might get
hurt, or you might come home to find someone hiding under a bed and
have no clue what happened.

Adoption Option:
Lastly, adopting a kitten these days is usually a very simple and happy
process. Many local shelters offer discount or complementary health
care
and vaccinations with an adoption, and your new cat or kitten will
undoubtedly already be neutered or spayed. If you adopt an
adult
allot of the questions you have will already be answered like size,
temperament, even the amount of shedding, although the last two will
have some environmental factors. If you feel strongly about getting a
specific breed, make sure the breeds requirements fit in with the first
few questions on the new kitten checklist. Grooming is a
factor with some stylish
pure-breds, and the outdoor cat scenario can be a dangerous option for
some highly domesticated breeds like the Burmese,
whose survival skills are limited to none. Finding a local breeder
is naturally ideal because traveling
far to pick out a kitten is not a great
idea.
You may end up choosing a
cat that you wouldn't otherwise, just because you took the trip.
And the road trip may be stressfull for everyone. Lastly,
although
we try never to get dramatic here, don't
have a kitten shipped to you.
We don't really feel the need to explain that one, and having raised
litters, we would never ship
a kitten.
Yikes! So let's move on to a kitten checklist of specific
items...

The
10 Must Haves
for Your
New Kitten

These are the absolute essentials for your new kitten or cat,
and they should all be in place or at hand by the time your kitten
comes home. You may not use all of them that first
day but these
are the items you may end up rushing out the door for if
your new cat is hiding under the bed (#9), or shredding Grandma's
ottoman (#7)....

Food and
water bowls - Maybe a yawn-worthy start to our kitten
checklist, but you should take a
moment to think about them. The vast majority of cat owners have
purchased the wrong food bowl for their needs at some point in time.
check these out and discovery the options and differences... Best Cat bowls

Cat Food
- Can't tell you how complicated this can be. Feeding kittens is simple
with a little knowledge, so a quick discussion of the different cat
foods available and the long term impact they may have on your cat's
health is right here- Cat
feeding

Litter Box-
The litter box location should be picked out, and the box
filled and set-up before your cat comes through the door. A nervous cat may need to
relieve itself right away when entering a new environment
and you can clarify right off the bat where the accepted area is. Now,
the box itself can be as simple or as chic as you want. -Check out thesesuper cool cat boxes-
But the location should be chosen with some specific thought in mind.
Go to cat litter boxes
for tips on choosing the best location. Of course, if you want to toilet train your cat,
you need to have the CitiKitty tray in place right away, and would have
to add a CitiKitty kit to your new kitten checklist.

Properly
Fitted Harness and Leash: It is an excellent idea
to introduce your new cat while on a leash - especially if you
have never had a cat in the house before. Nervous cats or
curious kittens may find nooks and crannies you never knew
existed. We have known cats in a new place to disappear under the
toe-kicks of kitchen cabinets, or find themselves lost in crawlspaces
or even walls. Furthermore, there is just no better way to
control a cat than with a well-fitted harness. This is one of
those items on your kitten checklist you will need to replace once or
twice as your kitten
grows. A few months may go by and that cute little harness won't even
get over his ears! Check out Cat
accessories

Cat Carrier-
You might carry your kitten home in a cardboard box or wrapped
in a towel, but a safe
and
well designed cat carrier
really is a true must-have. You can use
it to safely and temporarily confine your cat if there is construction
or some other disruption in the house. You can transport
your cat to the vet or the groomer with
less stress and no risk. And you can
house your cat in case of emergency like a fire or flood.
When our house caught fire decades ago my dad shoved our two
cats in a pillowcase and tied a knot on top. We were all safe
in the end but changing the sheets was nerve-wracking from that day on!
Dad didn't have a kitten checklist back then, but you do, and
you
can see the best cat carriers right here: Top
5 Cat Carriers

Toys-
Bonding with your new cat or kitten can take place instantly with the
right cat toys
and your kitten checklist must include two or three different
interactive toys for you and your new cat. The best cat toys inspire
fun, excersise and quality one-on-one time. Here are some
top-rated toys broken down into different categories that will
keep your cats interest - Top
10
Most Recommended Cat toys.

Scratching
Post- Like the litter box, the scratching post, tree, or
tower should be in place before your cat arrives and is a key element
of your kitten checklist. In all the excitement
of a new place, some cats will try out the textures of the environment
with their nails right off the bat. You can guide them in the right
direction with a suitable scratching surface. All cats require a
designated place to exercise that natural urge to work their claws and
this is your chance to head them off at the pass before any damage is
done. A little cat nip scent is helpful to encourage use. Check out all
these inviting scratching
posts and convenient dual-purpose cat furniture
which can provide scratching fun and a sleeping space
too.

A Designated
Bed: You may want to place more than one cat bed
or piece of cat furniture in different rooms throughout the house so
your cat always feels welcome, comfortable and safe. Sometimes a soft
sided carrier can serve this purpose as well. Even if you will all be
sleeping in the bed at night, providing specific perches in the living
areas and even the kitchen will make for a very happy cat. Perfect
placement requires some considerations, and the choices of beds can be
overwhelming. Here are our top-rated cat beds, some with multiple or
specific purposes, clearly explained - Cat
beds.

Treats:
You might not think treats should be on the essential kitten checklist
but during your cats
first hours or days it might be very handy to have some special,
irresistible morsels available. New cats and kittens may be shy or
stubborn or frightened. You haven't established a dialog
yet, and the right treats will help you to coax,
convince, possibly bribe, and definitely reward the behaviors
you desire out of your cat. Here are the most persuasive cat and kitten
treats we have ever found - Best Cat treats.

A Vet
Yes it sounds obvious, but you should know who you will be
using, the office hours, emergency numbers etc. Some vets have their
own 24 hour emergency staff, most will recommend you call a hospital
they have some affiliation with. Get all that info and have it handy in
case you should need it in a hurry.

Cool Cat Facts...
Close to 2 million deserving cats and kittens are adopted from state
and local animal shelters every single year in the U.S.A.
Hopefully the new owners use a New
kitten checklist to help things run smooth!

-gottaseecats-

O.K.
so while you check out all the fancy
felines in the -Cat
Breeds Encyclopedia- keep in mind thatall breed descriptions are
generalizationsand don't apply to all
individuals.
Learn about
your potential new best friend, research breeds and breeders
thoroughly, and always remember...Cats
Rule!

This Weeks Most Viewed Cat Breeds

Indoor Cat or Outdoor Cat...

Wondering if you should allow your cat to go outside
unsupervised? Well there are definitely some pure breeds
that should never be outside cats. Hairless
breeds like the Sphynx
are extremely vulnerable and should always be supervised outdoors.
Docile breeds like the Burmese
may not be able to defend themselves. All cats allowed
outdoors are exposed to diseases and parasites that they would not
otherwise encounter.Fred Flintstone
put his saber-tooth out every
night, but the cat jumped right back in the window - and that was a
saber-tooth! Still, most of us feel a little
envy when we see our
domestic companion out on some high perch, sniffing the breeze of
liberty, and there is no doubt that cats love their freedom.
So
what do YOU think
.....Inside Cat or Outside Cat?